Once a computer is deployed at a customer site, conventional reporting and resolution of software failures (i.e., “software defects”) largely can be a manual process. Typically, an end user who encounters a software failure reports the software failure to a system administrator. The system administrator then manually documents and conveys certain information regarding the software failure to a software technical support team and works with that team to accurately identify a cause of the failure as well as an effective cure.
Large software companies with mature and substantially stable software products may simply post common defects and appropriate procedures to fix or “work around” the defects on their websites. Such posting of common procedures on company websites enables customers to identify and remedy certain software problems themselves.
Additionally, some software companies incorporate simple defect reporting software routines into their software. Along these lines, when the software encounters a minor failure, the software prompts the user for permission to notify the software provider of the failure. If the user provides permission, the defect reporting software routine collects a small amount of operating system data and/or process image data and sends this data to the software provider. A defect reporting software routine which is similar to that described above is provided with certain versions of the Windows® operating system offered by Microsoft Corporation of Redmond, Wash.